Why is it so hard to choose a HD setup!

[larciel]

i tell ya, 4 years ago it was 75GXP hands down, but now there are so many variety.. it sometimes hurts my brain..


well i have two SATA ports onboard on my nf2 board, and two PATA Channel.

i need a BIG space for my data (total data is around 180gb.. so anywhere btwn 200gb -300gb i think is fine)

and i need a 30gb ish for OS, and about 30gb rest for files

my current setup

1. 74gb raptor
2. 180gb hitachi PATA

after considering every possible ways, i've come up with these choices... (cost of setup does matter)

1. 74gb raptor / 250gb pata hitachi ($270 total)
2. 80gb seagate sata x2 in raid 0 / 250gb hitachi ($240)
3. 160gb seagate sata w/ NCQ / 250gb hitachi ($230)
4. 160gb seagate sata w/ NCQ x2 in raid 0 ($230)
5. 300gb maxtor sata w/ ncq ($220)
6. 160gb hitachi sata x2 ($200)

raid 0 and increased risk in data loss doesn't bother me, i'm leaning close to getting #4 setup.. but after looking at STR .. hitachi (even w/out NCQ) looks fine against seagate.. and is cheapest of them all.. so #6 might be yummy too

any flames or bashing or inputs are welcome .

tia

*btw does nf2 chip support NCQ anyway?

 

[CEV]

I am also trying to decide what to go with. Currently sporting a 120GB SATA Maxtor. I have 2 SATA ports onboard along with the 2 PATA. I am trying to determine if it would be best to seperate the OS, Programs, and Data on there own drives or just go with 2 drive with one for the OS and Programs and the other just for Data. Performance and reliability are a big factor, along with price.

Chad

 

[jose]

I vote for opt #1, nice blend of speed & capacity.

Regards,
Jose

 

[gobucks]

I like the Maxtor Diamondmax 10. It's really fast, maybe a bit slower than a raptor, but not that much. Also, I like how ALL of your storage will be fast, not just 1/4 of it. NCQ is nice, but the 16MB buffer is what really makes the difference. Also, it's much cheaper than the raptor/sata combo. In fact, it's gone down in price, down to $205 with free shipping from newegg! I'm getting one in my new computer for sure. Barring this option, my second choice would probably be option #1 - my friend has 2 37GB raptors, and they are fast, although it doesn't bring the kind of speed that you would get from upgrading other components of the computer. Also, as for raid 0, the results seem pretty underwhelming for desktop situations. Granted, they are faster, pretty much all around, but with the single user workloads, you don't see gains that are that large. If you are gonna get 2 identical drives, then go ahead and stripe them, but a raid array isn't necessarily the best value for you.

 

[erikistired]

i bought the hitachi 250gb sata drive. supposedly to be the fatest 7200 rpm drive around and lots of space. supposedly quiet as well. we'll see when it arrives.

 

[larciel]

Currently, only Intel's ICH6 features support for NCQ when used with the Intel Application Accelerator 4.0 drivers.

quoted from AT review of maxtor III

so, no need for me to get HD w/ NCQ .. right?